London Butterfly Trail extended into 2024 at Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street

Having opened in September, The Butterfly Trail in central London has attracted thousands of visitors and has had its run extended into the new year - and for the "foreseeable future".

The free, immersive and interactive experience can be found in The Now Building by Tottenham Court Road station, at the junction of New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road.

The attraction is a collaboration between the Outernet district and Pixel Artworks, with visitors able to use their phone to interact with the butterflies.

Visitors are advised to check the Outernet App for timings but standard days run from midday to 6pm.

You don't need a phone to view and enjoy the butterflies, but by scanning a QR code and viewing through a phone, visitors can hold a virtual butterfly in their hand.

The butterflies are released from their chrysalises onto the floor-to-ceiling, ultra-HD screens.

Pixel Artworks

At the launch of the trail, Gavin Macarthur, senior creative director at Pixel Artworks, said: “We knew that we wanted to provide a magical element to this natural and organic theme, and started thinking about different stories we could use to combine this with the story of the professor and his Glass House.”

He added: “We took inspiration from classic children’s stories such as The Secret Garden and Tom’s Midnight Garden, but also from modern-day cinema such as Paddington and Up which feature fantastical elements.”

The display centres on the fictional narrative of Professor Peter Pelgrin and his magical Botanical Workshop and Glass House.

Outernet

Outernet is an entertainment district at the junction of Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road, backing onto the historic music centre of Denmark Street.

At the launch of the Butterfly Trail, Alexandra Payne, head of creative at Outernet, said: “This is the first time we’ve done mixed reality in this space, combining what people are seeing on their phones and on the screens around them.

“We wanted to take augmented reality and refine it and make it user-friendly, and we have loved combining the showpiece of the butterfly garden and the more intimate botanical workshop space to create an immersive experience.”